Bruce Banner (Earth-616)

See Also: Expanded History
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Early Years
Robert Bruce Banner is the son of Dr. Brian Banner, an atomic physicist, and his wife Rebecca. Although Rebecca deeply loved Bruce, who returned her affection, Brian hated their child. Brian never wanted children because of what happened to him and his sisters Susan and Elaine Banner. An alcoholic, and a very, very angry man, Brian was driven by an insane jealousy of Bruce for being an object of Rebecca's love. Further, Brian believed that his radiation work had altered his DNA and given him a mutant son. Brian abused Bruce and finally murdered Rebecca. Brian was then placed in a mental hospital. After that, Bruce was raised by his aunt and father's sister, Susan Banner, who understood his great pain and rage over his childhood sufferings thanks to his crazed father. Susan raised Bruce with love and care, as if he were her own child. Susan never wanted to deal with her brother after what he had done to Bruce and Rebecca. Bruce, grew up as a highly withdrawn, intellectually gifted youth, in fact, a child prodigy

Education
After graduating from Science High School, Bruce studied nuclear physics in Navapo, New Mexico, at Desert State University as the star student of Professor Herbert Josiah Weller. He also studied for a time at Harvard University. He later transferred to Pennsylvania State University where he briefly worked with Canadian student Walter Langkowski finding a similar interest in gamma radiation. He also worked with Peter Corbeau, and Raoul Stoddard. It was during his time at Penn State that Banner found inspiration from noted scientist Albert Einstein and like the famous scientist, bought a wardrobe consisting entirely of purple suits.

As a young student Bruce first met another student with a brilliant mind; Tony Stark. They both attended Dr. Derenik Zadian's "Forward Thought Conference" at Oxford University. This would lead to a life-long scientific rivalry between the two. They also became best friends. They eventually teamed up and joined the Avengers.

Bruce obtained his doctorate in nuclear physics at the Caltech, alongside Philip Sterns, who later became Madman.

Physicist
Eventually, as an adult and a genius in nuclear physics, Banner wished to pursue philanthropic brands of science, but couldn't receive any financial funding for his projects, and thus in lack of other options, went to work at a United States Defense Department nuclear research facility at Desert Base, New Mexico. There Banner met General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross, the Air Force officer in command of the base, and his daughter Betty Ross. Banner and Betty eventually fell in love with each other. Banner designed and oversaw construction of the "Gamma Bomb" or "G-bomb," a nuclear weapon possessing a high gamma radiation output.

The Hulk
Banner was present in the instrumentation bunker at the test site for the first underground test detonation of the Gamma Bomb. Observing that a civilian had breached security and entered the restricted test area, Banner told his colleague Igor Starsky to delay the countdown while he tried to escort the civilian to safety. Starsky, secretly a Soviet agent, did nothing, confident that Banner would die in the explosion, bringing the project to a halt. Reaching the civilian, a teenager named Rick Jones, Banner threw him into a protective trench.

Before Banner could get himself to safety, the Gamma Bomb detonated, and intense waves of radiation reached the surface. Banner was irradiated with highly charged radioactive particles. Due to an unknown genetic factor in his body, Banner was not killed by the radiation, which instead caused him to frequently transform into the vastly powerful, green-skinned, humanoid monster named "the Hulk".

At first Banner changed into the Hulk at sunset and reverted to human form at dawn. However, Banner's body eventually changed so that his transformations into the Hulk were triggered by the release of adrenalin when he became intensely excited or angry, no matter what time of day or night it was. ted to contain Hulk, he thwarted their every attempt, with Rick Jones, feeling responsible for Banner becoming the Hulk, trying to help keep him away from the military. Hulk ultimately thwarted an attempt to destroy America by the Gargoyle, another being mutated by gamma radiation. Hulk changed back into Banner and help cure the Gargoyle, who helped Banner escape back to the U.S., where, with the help of Rick Jones, he maintained his identity as the Hulk a secret and attempted to keep the Hulk contained at night.

Early Adventures
When Bruce next turned into the Hulk, his skin was green, a skin tone that remained the most constant for the Hulk. Banner became a target of the so-called Toad Men, who sought to invade Earth. Although at first their attempts to exploit Banner's intelligence made him appear to be a traitor to his country, Banner was able to use his might as the Hulk to thwart the Toad Men's invasion and cleared his name.

In an effort to control his transformations, Banner began using a Gamma Ray Projector to force transformations into Hulk and Banner vice-versa, however his Hulk persona was reluctant to transform back into Banner. After the Hulk was shot into space and passing through a radiation storm Rick Jones briefly found himself able to control him. They worked together to stop the Circus of Crime. Jones' control over the Hulk faded away. Hulk's transformations were not limited to nightfall after this adventure.

Hulk next foiled a hoax perpetrated by the Russian agent Boris Monguski (Mongu) aimed at trying to learn the secrets of the Hulk's strength, saved Betty from the underground ruler Tyrannus, and battled the Chinese General Fang. When Gamma Base was the subject to sabotage, Hulk was blamed and the Fantastic Four were called in to deal with him. This led to the first of many clashes between Hulk and the Fantastic Four's Thing. In the aftermath, the scientist Karl Kort was ultimately held responsible. Shortly thereafter, Hulk prevented Metal Master from invading Earth.

The Sentry
The Sentry met the Hulk and found that somehow his powers soothed the Hulk's raging temper. They were partners for a time, battling the Sentry's eternal enemy, the Void. Eventually Sentry had to erase his existence from the minds of the world and Hulk forgot about his one time partnership with the Sentry for many years.

The Avengers
Hulk became a pawn of Loki who tricked Hulk into battling his half-brother, Thor. This plot was foiled, leading to Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp joining forces to form the Avengers and defeat Loki. Hulk was a founding member of the group and together they clashed with Dr. Doom. The group's mistrust in him became apparent when they were manipulated by the Space Phantom, prompting Hulk to quit. The Avengers began hunting down their unpredictable former ally. Hulk found an ally in the Sub-Mariner, and clashed with the heroes, Thor in particular, but Hulk was defeated and disappeared in the water.

Hulk soon resurfaced in New York City seeking revenge against the Avengers, clashing with them as well as the Fantastic Four, leading to a rematch with Thing. The battle ended with Hulk being swept away in the New York harbor. Hulk resurfaced back in New Mexico where he was tricked by the Avengers into aiding them in preventing the Lava Men's attempt to eradicate human life on Earth's surface.

While hiding out in a cave near Hollywood, Hulk was disturbed when the Green Goblin's plot to use the Enforcers to kill Spider-Man encroached into his hiding spot, leading to a brief clash between Hulk and Spider-Man before Hulk fled the scene. Later, Hulk was manipulated into battling his former Avengers comrades Giant-Man and Wasp by their foe the Human Top.

Back at Gamma Base
Banner continued his stint as a scientist at Gamma Base. Meanwhile, General Ross suspected Banner of being a spy and having some sort of connection with Hulk. The base soon became the target of the Chameleon who had been hired to steal a new experimental robot tank designed by Banner. Banner's attempt to stop the spy was complicated by the arrival of Lt. Glenn Talbot at Gamma base, who shared General Ross's suspicions. When the military decided to move Banner and his tank to another base, the Chameleon's employer, the Leader, deployed his Humanoid to steal it. Hulk battled the Humanoid and prevented it from stealing the device. Banner was arrested by the military under suspicion of having something to do with this attempted theft. Banner remained a prisoner until Rick Jones revealed Banner's double identity to the President of the U.S., earning him a pardon.

Banner went to Astra Island with his new experimental Absorbatron device. The island was attacked by Leader's Humanoids, but Hulk defeated them. The battle ended with Banner being captured by Communist agents. Banner refused to work for the Communists and the Hulk freed himself and the other captured scientists. Thanks to the sacrifice of one of these scientists Hulk was able to fight his way out of Russia and ended up in Mongolia. There Banner was picked up by thief Kanga Kahn who attempted to hold Banner for ransom for safe return to America. Glenn Talbot, believing him to be a traitor, was sent to retrieve Banner but Hulk left Talbot behind and returned to the U.S. where Banner was arrested.

Banner was again pardoned by the President and was allowed to return to Astra Island for another test. The Leader's Humanoids attacked again and Hulk and the Absorbatron were once again captured. Banner used one of Leader's devices to bring the army to the site. By the time they arrived, Hulk had sent the Leader fleeing. The military drove the Hulk back, only to find a seemingly dead Banner when they searched the site of the battle.

Rick Jones stole Banner's body and attempted to revive him in his lab. Another bombardment with the Gamma Ray Projector triggered a transformation into Hulk, but for the first time ever Banner's mind possessed Hulk. This came at a cost: if Hulk reverted back to Banner, he would die due to a shrapnel lodged in his brain. Leader showed the power of the stolen Absorbatron to potential buyers by sending a gigantic Humanoid to attack Gamma Base. The Hulk and Rick Jones were knocked away from the battle when General Ross fired his new "Sunday Punch" missile destroying the giant Humanoid. When Hulk and Rick sought refuge in one of Banner's secret labs the military followed them. Banner sent Rick out to hold up the military during an air strike. Leader teleported Hulk away, seeking to form an alliance with him. The military assumed that their assault had atomized the Hulk.

Hulk refused to ally himself with Leader. Realizing something was wrong, Leader bombarded him with more gamma radiation and removed the shrapnel from his brain. He then sent the Hulk to the Watcher's home planet in order to steal the Ultimate Machine. He clashed with the Amphibion, an alien who also sought the Ultimate Machine, and bested him in combat, and was returned to, Earth. Leader took the Ultimate Machine from Hulk and attempted to use the device. Leader's plan backfired, as the machine seemingly killed him.

Learning that Rick Jones was a prisoner of the military for refusing to reveal the Hulk's true identity, the Hulk attempted to seek a Presidential pardon for his friend. In Washington, D.C. he was ironically attacked by the last weapon he invented for the military: The T-Ray. The T-Ray transported Hulk to the distant future of Earth-6676, a post-apocalyptic world ruled by King Arrkam. There, Hulk battled his enforcer, the Executioner. Ultimately, the effects of the T-Ray wore off and Hulk was returned to his native Earth-616.

Outed As the Hulk
Rick Jones, believing Banner dead, revealed Hulk's true identity to General Ross and Glenn Talbot. Learning that the Hulk was alive and well, Talbot hounded the Hulk again with Banner's replacement Konrad Zaxon. This prompted Rick to also tell Betty about Banner's double identity. Ultimately, Hulk killed Zaxon for trying to use the Hulk as a battery for weapons he hoped to use to take over the Earth. The military chased after Hulk not knowing of Zaxon's true plans.

The fleeing Hulk (from Captain America) had a brief clash with Hercules. Then, Hulk was used as a pawn by Tyrannus who was then at war with another underground dweller, the Mole Man, over the Fountain of Youth. Later, Hulk was caught in the middle of the Secret Empire agent Boomerang's attempt to steal the new Orion missile, taking Betty as his prisoner. Hulk managed to defeat and then repeatedly beaten Boomerang to an unrecognizable stoop saving Betty. Hulk sought out the Avengers in New York, only to be hounded by the authorities. While in New York, the Hulk was hounded by Spider-Man who sought to capture him in an attempt to earn membership in the Avengers, a mission he would fail due to his sympathy for the Hulk.

Number One of the Empire attempted to use the Sub-Mariner to destroy the Hulk, however this plot failed and Number One accidentally blew himself up. A spy for the Empire sent the Orion Missile off its testing course to impact with New York City. Banner redirected the missile to explode harmlessly in the ocean. Getting into a battle with the Leader's Hulk-Killer android, the Hulk eventually short circuited the Hulk-Killer, although Rick Jones was injured in the fight. For his part in stopping the Orion Missile from destroying New York, the Hulk was hailed as a hero and received a full Presidential pardon; however the media frenzy frightened the Hulk off. The Hulk was attacked by Boomerang, seeking a rematch, seemingly ending in Boomerang's death.

A Menace Once More
The Stranger attempted to use the Hulk to wipe out most of humanity hoping that the survivors would build a better world before leaving for the stars. Not wishing to be a menace, Banner attempted to kill himself with a powerful burst of gamma radiation. Banner was arrested by Glenn Talbot and locked up, leaving the spy Emil Blonsky to be mutated into the Abomination. The Hulk battled the Abomination, who the Stranger found more useful to his goals. #93}} The Hulk was next captured by hunters in the employ of the High Evolutionary. The High Evolutionary attempted to advance Banners evolution by ten million years to use him to keep his invading New Men at bay.

Hulk was tricked into helping the Lords of the Living Lightning capture Gamma Base. The Hulk turned against them for threatening Betty and put an end to their organization. In the aftermath the Hulk was once again believed to be dead. The Hulk fell under the control of the Puppet Master who had him attack Rick, estranging him and the Hulk for a time, and then sent him after the Sub-Mariner. Coincidentally, this was at a time Namor was exiled from Atlantis and seeking an alliance with the Hulk. The clash between the two ended in a giant tsunami that ruined the Puppet Master's base and reverted the Hulk back into Bruce Banner. Not recognizing the Hulk in his human form, the Sub-Mariner returned to the sea.

Loki once again attempt to use the Hulk as his pawn, transporting him to Asgard, leading to a clash with the Warriors Three, Executioner,and an army of Trolls. Odin banished the Hulk into the deep reaches of space where he clashed with the Space Parasite.

Hunted by Everyone
Hulk was captured by the US military, now fully backed by his longtime ally, Rick Jones. Banner was targeted by the newly restored Rhino, who was seemingly killed in a fuel truck explosion. Briefly back in human form, Banner was shot by crooks but transformed back into the Hulk when being chased by police. The Hulk next battled the Missing Link, an irradiated prehistoric man sent to attack America by Chinese communists. The Link was seemingly destroyed in an explosion when it reached critical mass despite interference from Glenn Talbot, Nick Fury and his Russian counterpart Yuri Brevlov. During this battle, Rick Jones was injured by the Hulk and then taken in by Captain America to become the new Bucky.

Attracting the attention of the Mandarin, the Hulk was tested by the villain who hoped to work with him, but the Hulk rejected the offer, trashed the Mandarin's castle, and escaped. The Hulk accidentally freed the evil Inhumans led by Maximus, who attempted to overthrow Black Bolt's rule of Attilan. The Hulk wanted nothing to do with their rebellion and easily trounced them. Black Bolt offered the Hulk a place with the Inhumans, but after realizing that the other Inhumans feared him the Hulk left the hidden land.

After a battle against Fin Fang Foom, the Hulk was dogged by the Chinese military. The Hulk hitched a ride on an experimental rocket which crashed in the Antarctic. Banner awoke in the Savage Land and got captured by the Swamp Men who attempted to sacrifice him until he was rescued by Ka-Zar. Hulk clashed with the alien robot Umbu the Unliving and destroyed it with Ka-Zar's help and saved the Earth. Banner suffered from exposure to Umbu's radiation. Having detected the destruction of Umbu, the Galaxy Master captured the dying Banner and revived him. The Hulk battled the Sagittarians on a distant world and the seemingly destroyed the Galaxy Master, freeing its slaves.

Many (Un)Happy Returns
The Mandarin sent the Sandman against the Hulk, resulting in the Sandman being fused into glass. The Hulk was once again captured by General Ross. With the Hulk in captivity, the Leader returned alive and well and offered his services to neutralize the threat of the Hulk once and for all. To this end he trapped the Hulk in a Plasticine prison. Betty freed the Hulk, but by then it was too late to stop the Leader from attempting to use the bases nuclear weapons to jump start World War III. Although Bruce Banner stopped most of the missiles, the Leader launched a second one prompting Banner to become the Hulk again to stop it.

Rescued and restored to health by Lady Dorma, a rival for Namor's affections. The Sub-Mariner defeated Hulk in underwater combat when Mistress Fara convinced the Sub-Mariner that Dorma was romancing another man. Washing up on the shores of Costa Salvador, Bruce Banner found that the island had been taken over by Maximus and his evil Inhumans. The Hulk clashed with them, and Maximus retreated. Fleeing to Florida, the Hulk ended up battling the Glob, a creature the Hulk would destroy before realizing it was much like him.